Combined pen or pencil and compartment

ABSTRACT

An attachment or container for use with a pen or pencil. The container comprises a housing disposed atop the pen and it actuates the pushbutton of said pen when the container is depressed. The container is also provided with a secret compartment for holding pills, coins, tokens, a perfume bottle, or the like.

United States Paten Gordon 1 Feb. 1, 1972 [54] COMBINED PEN OR PENCILAND 2,577,078 12/1951 Fried ..40l/243 X COMPARTMENT 2,865,533 12/1958Taylor ADI/52 X [72] Inventor: Ralph S. Gordon, 24 W. 57th St., NewFOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS Y k, NY. 10022 or 446,118 3/1968Switzerland ..40l/l17 [22] Filed: Jan. 19, 1970 PrimaryExaminer-Lawrence Charles [2] 1 Appl' 3885 Attorneywilliam T. Hough andLafores't S. Saulsbury [52] [1.8. CI ..40l/l95, 401/99 [57] ABSTRACT Anattachment or container for use with a pen or pencil. The 401/1 24346/334 container comprises a housing disposed 310p the pen and itactuates the pushbutton of said pen when the container is depressed. Thecontainer is also provided with a secret com- [56] References cuedpartment for holding pills, coins, tokens, a perfume bottle, or

UNITED STATES PATENTS the like- 1,222,555 4/1917 McArthur ..401/243 X 10Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED rte H972 F/GJ RALPH S. GORDONCOMBINED PEN OR PENCIL AND COMPARTMENT BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THEINVENTION Combined pencils or pens and compartment cases are not new butheretofore such items which were primarily adopted for pocket use orpersonal wear were complexion design and required numerous elements andintricate parts. Some of the more simple devices, however, were forretaining extra lead, etc., but such structures invariably contained aninner compartment within the pencil housing for holding the spare leads.Other special designs provided compartments for pills or the like butsuch designs did not lend themselves to being adapted to theconventional pen or pencil which is mass marketed by the industry.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a pencompartment which may be fitted over the end of a conventional pencil orpen and which is capable of containing a plurality of pills or tokens, aperfume bottle, and like articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compartment housingwhich is readily fitted over and telescopingly associated with the upperportion of a conventional pen.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a combined pen andcompartment which is relatively simple in construction and one which canbe readily manufactured economically.

SUMMARY According to the present invention, there is provided incombination with a writing pen having a pushbutton protruding from thetop thereof, a container for holding small items comprising a housinghaving openings at both ends, one opening telescopingly fitted over theupper portion of said pen and having centrally disposed therein meansfor engaging said pushbutton, the other opening comprising a chamber orcompartment for said items, and a cover cap for closing the top openingof said chamber or compartment whereby the pen is actuated by depressingsaid housing which, in turn, depresses said pushbutton.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofone embodiment of the combined pen and compartment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIGSv 3 and 4 illustrate another embodiment of the invention whereinFIG. 3 shows the device in section and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the penattachment;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a further embodiment of the invention wherein aflower design is employed; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view, partly in elevational, taken along the lines6-6 of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawingsand particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a writing instrument10, such as a pen. As shown therein, the pen 10 is of conventionalconstruction and comprises a lower half 12, an upper half 14, a tip16(ballpoint type as shown in FIG. 1).

Disposed about the upper portion 14 of the pen 10 is an attachment orcontainer device 20 of the invention. As best shown in FIG. 2, thecontainer 20 comprises, preferably a housing 22 having respectivelytherein lower and upper bores 24 and 26. These bores are disposed orlocated at opposite ends of the housing 22. Suitably, the housing 22 isprovided with a pocket clip 18.

The lower bore 24 is adapted to be telescopingly or slideably fittedover the upper portion 14. Within the base of the lower bore 24 is meansfor engaging 28 the pushbutton 30 of the pen 10. Such means 28preferably comprises a small aperture having means, such as tits (notshown) adapted to snap-fit about the upper portion of the pushbutton 30.It is at this point which transmits the necessary force to depress thepushbutton so as to actuate the ballpoint pen. The housing 22 may alsobe secured to the pushbutton 30 by other suitable means, such as by anadhesion.

The upper bore 26 is suitably fitted with a cover cap 32. The 5 covercap 32 may be of such a type which is threaded to the housing,snap-fitted to the housing and the like. A plurality of items 34 (8shown), in this case pills, are illustrated as being stacked one on topof the other in the upper bore 26. In such a particular embodiment ofthe invention, it is preferable to employ indicia, such as numericalmarkings, along the outside periphery adjacent the top opening of thebore 26. Associated therewith is a marker 36 located on the cover cap32. Such indicia may be designed so as to indicate the hour of the dayin which the next pill should be taken or it can be arranged so that thenumber of items remaining in the bore is visible without having to openthe cover cap and count the units remaining.

In the case of tokens, for example, the indicia may serve as the meansfor counting the remaining tokens. Of course, the housing 22 maysuitably be provided with a window in the form of a slot (not show) sothat one can visually observe the remaining items in the bore.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, another modification of the invention isshown. In these figures, there is illustrated a housing 38 having alower bore 40, an upper bore 42, and a cover cap 44. The means forengaging the pushbutton 46 is shown at 48 and within the upper bore 42 aplurality of items 50 are arranged. FIG. 3 more clearly shows thearrangement whereby four items are disposed adjacent each other. Thecover cap 44 is provided with a centrally disposed knob 52 whichfacilitates grasping the cover cap. Such a container as shown in FIGS. 3and 4 may suitably hold a perfume bottle, coins, or any other smallitem.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, another housing 54 is illustrated.In this particular modification, the housing and associated cover cap 56is in the form of a flower, such as a rose. The petals 58 are clearlyillustrated along the sides of the housing 54 and also about the covercap 56. The lower bore and means for engaging the pushbutton 60 arerespectively shown at 62 and 64. The upper bore 66 is shown as holdingor retaining a perfume bottle 68.

It should also be noted that the invention is also applicable to ahousing having upper and lower bores analogous to the housing describedhereinabove except. that within the upper bore is disposed a containerhaving a cover cap (not shown). Such a container would simply residewithin the upper bore by means of a frictional fit; hence, the upperbore need not neces sarily have a cover cap where a container is fittedwithin said bore and said container is provided with its own cover capelement.

While, in the foregoing specification, a detailed description of theinvention has been set down for the purpose of explanation, manyvariations in the specific details herein given may be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

I. In combination with a writing pen having a pusbutton protruding fromthe top thereof, a container for holding small items comprising ahousing having bores at opposite ends, one bore being telescopinglyfitted over the upper portion of said pen and having centrally disposedtherein means for engaging said pushbutton, the other bore comprising achamber or compartment for said items, and a cover cap for closing saidchamber or compartment whereby said pushbutton of said pen is actuatedby depressing said housing.

2. The combination according to claim I, wherein said housing issnap-fitted to said pushbutton.

3. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said compartment isadapted to contain a plurality of disclike objects.

4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said housing isprovided with numerical indicia along the outside periphery adjacentsaid other bore and said cover cap is provided with a reference mark.

s n A M 5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein the upperportion of said housing is in the form of a flower.

6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein said flower is a rose,and said cover cap is provided with simulated roselike pedals.

7. The combination according to claim 4, wherein said cover cap issnap-fitted about said other bore.

8. The combination according to claim 4, wherein said cover cap isthreadably secured to said housing about said other bore.

9. In combination with a writing pen having a pushbutton protruding fromthe top thereof, a housing having bores at opthln--

